Beans On Toast – Knee Deep In Nostalgia

There are two types of albums that have been released since the pandemic hit: those that embrace and chronicle life under such uncertain times, and those that look elsewhere as an escape from the craziness.  So when it comes to the annual album release by Braintree, Essex’s Beans On Toast, the socially conscious, folky acoustic project of Jay McAllister, which one was it?  Both, of course.  The prolific folk artist is known for his album-per-year output, and has marked the occasion with the release of the pandemic exploration album, The Unforeseeable Future, and the focus of this review, the warm and fuzzy back to the past blast, Knee Deep In Nostalgia.

Knee Deep In Nostalgia is a practice in embracing escapism in a time where it’s all we really have.  McAllister invites aging listeners to walk alongside his memories, projecting the blissfulness of being a young gun with “no concept of time.”  “The Village Disco” captures a defining moment in McAllister’s life when his mother opened his eyes to the idea that, “someone’s gotta be the first one on the dance floor.”  It’s a foundation of initiative that pulses through much of Beans On Toast’s discography, represented in his many songs of idealism and rebellion that call the status quo to question.  He reflects on viewing childhood heroes as ageless influences in shaping his personality as McAllister reaches closer to the milestone of his fortieth birthday.  In “My Favourite Teacher” the theme looks to a favourite and affirming teacher, Mr. Lee, and in “What Would Willie Do”, looks to influential country music star Willie Nelson, to show the developmental mark celebrities can leave on each of us.  

McAllister has suspended his typical disillusionment and cynicism in favour of offering a warm blanket of nostalgia featuring prosey vocals and breezy strumming and piano keys.  Tracks like “The Album of the Day” present a celebration of parenthood through a simple vision of McAllister and his preschool aged daughter (whose birth has been referenced in past albums) dancing and discovering music for the first time.  If you share the same season of life, it’s a relatable romp that hits you right in the heart.  Others like “Once Upon A Time” paint a picture of life around English town halls, pubs and streets some twenty years back, with McAllister viewing the good, the bad and the ugly through retrospect’s rose coloured glasses.  Meanwhile, “Coincidence” ups the tempo, infusing a jolting brass-based beat, complete with a mid-song saxophone solo and big sing-along finale that leaves listeners to contemplate their futures in the line, “come rain or shine, come what may.”  The line makes for a smart closing thesis, framing an entire album that looks backwards with a purpose in a world that never stops moving forwards.

At this point, Beans on Toast is like Frank Turner, if Frank Turner never got lucky and made it big.  McAllister hasn’t changed much over the years, but he has cleaned up, had a kid, and matured his perspectives.  While I’m not usually one to fall victim to the allure of nostalgia, the fact that McAllister and I have kids roughly the same age, we are within five years of one another, and that we seem to be going through the same milestone realizations about parenthood and childhood memories made me connect with Knee Deep In Nostalgia more than I anticipated.  For this reason, I imagine that Knee Deep In Nostalgia will be earning some play time as this pandemic unfolds, especially with better times seeming locked in memory.